Vitaly Churkin's body returned to Moscow

A plane carrying the body of the permanent representative of Russia to the UN Vitaly Churkin has arrived in Moscow from New York.

The plane arrived three days after Churkin died suddenly the day before his 65th birthday, TASS reported.

Churkin's funeral will take place on February 24 at the Russian Foreign Ministry, and he will be interred at Moscow's Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.

Churkin, one of Russia's top diplomats, was named UN ambassador in April 2006.